Thieves steal nuclear plant keys

A blunder involving one of Britain's biggest nuclear and chemical research facilities has sparked a major security alert.

Thieves stole keys and secret documents relating to labs at the Atomic Energy Plant at Harwell, Oxfordshire, after a key employee left his briefcase in his car in a station car park.

The black attache case also contained evacuation plans for the research centre as well as phone numbers of senior personnel. A shortwave radio and mobile phone also went missing.

The stolen keys are believed to have given access to highly sensitive areas at the base where nuclear and chemical materials were kept. They are thought to have been stolen several hours before the authorities were alerted and locks at the facility changed.

British Transport Police confirmed the theft of a briefcase from a car in a multi-storey car park at Reading railway station between 4pm and 10pm on Saturday 23 March. None of the items has been recovered.

The theft comes amid heightened security around British nuclear and chemical installations following the 11 September attacks in the United States.

Last year the International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna, warned of the dangers of terrorists targeting nuclear facilities. Experts believe Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network are trying to obtain nuclear material-for a strike on the West. They fear even tiny amounts of radioactive material could be attached to a normal high explosive device to create a "dirty bomb" that could contaminate whole cities.

A spokesman for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) said the briefcase was in a car belonging to a key member of the facility's emergency team, which deals with alerts and accidents at the centre. The employee would be expected to have access to the centre's most sensitive research laboratories.

He said a "small amount" of nuclear material was kept on the site, which is surrounded by alarmed fences and patrolled by police round the clock.

All relevant locks were changed immediately the incident became known, he said, adding: "The briefcase contained an emergency response log but it did not contain any confidential information that could have been of value to anyone. The mobile has been deactivated and the theft was reported to the police. We are not taking any further action."

He said the employee involved was expected to be given "advice" about security and the risk of leaving briefcases in cars.

Police believe the theft was carried out by an opportunistic thief who may not have been aware of the significance of his haul. But it raises new concerns over security at Harwell, headquarters of the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Earlier this year the authority was fined £4,000 for breaching health and safety regulations after a chemical experiment at its Didcot site led to fears of a major explosion. Two members of the Army bomb disposal unit were awarded the George Medal for outstanding bravery in preventing a blast.

The incident also follows a series of briefcase thefts from MI5 agents, which led to a major overhaul of security involving cases containing laptop computers.

UKAEA was created in 1954 to pioneer nuclear energy in the UK, and today is responsible for managing the decommissioning of its nuclear reactors, including one at Harwell, and other nuclear facilities.

It also does research on harnessing nuclear fusion at another site in Oxfordshire.

The spokesman added that the theft was also being handled by the atomic authority's own internal independent police force, which recently received extra powers from Home Secretary David Blunkett to deal with the increased fear of a terrorist attack.

The force, which includes armed officers, now has the power to mount patrols and stopand-search for up to three miles outside atomic bases.